Consider this the "hurray I had a snow day off from work" chapter. I love that a few of you thought the previous chapter was cute. This is still in the realm of cute, BUT there will be bumps in the road. But the good isn't as good without the bad right? Just know that this is a Paily story and a happy ending is guaranteed.
I bolted up, warm from sleep and shocked at the sudden noise. The alarm was going off and I felt like I couldn't have shut my eyes more than a few minutes ago. Paige was already turning it off and rolling out of bed.
"Go back to sleep, you still have a couple more minutes to rest." She rasped. I probably fell asleep as I nodded, breathing in her scent on the pillows.
"Now it's time to go." I groaned but acquiesced, knowing Dana would be eager to hear any insight I could give regarding the practice techniques of the elite swim team.
Paige had a protein bar and a Gatorade in her hands, a duffle bag hanging off one shoulder. She was dressed in some light windbreakers embroidered with the Stanford University name and symbol. And somehow that outfit looked amazing on her.
"Okay okay." I said, gathering myself to change and at least brush my teeth.
I don't know if I can be the girl that just cheers you on from the stands.
"So uh…that wasn't my best showing. But I'm actually an amazing swimmer with a minimum of seven hours sleep." Paige bashfully admitted, wrapping a towel around her waist while grabbing another one to start drying her hair.
"If that is what you can do while sleep deprived, I can't wait to see you compete at a meet all rested up." I reassured her. She cocked her head to the side as I said it.
"That's funny…I remember you saying you couldn't be the type of girl to cheer me on from the stands." She said teasingly, though I don't think she was completely joking. I had said that when I started to pull away from her senior year.
"I was a teenager when I said that." I explained.
"And now?"
"And now I'm a twenty year old. Way older and wiser."
"I see that." She looked me up and down as she said it. I took a step towards her, only for her to shake her head and take a step back, looking around anxiously.
"Wait…you are out to your team, right?" I asked, confused at her behavior.
"Of course I am! It isn't about that…it's about…" She trailed off as a tall, light-skinned black girl approached us. The girl smirked.
"What's this McCullers? Can't come to practice without bringing your fan club?" She playfully punched Paige's shoulder and walked away. Paige hung her head, clearly blushing.
"Whatever. You all got a free day because I lost some sleep. Get ready to get whooped again come Monday." Paige retorted, but they were both smiling. She was still competitive, though I would never expect that to change.
"Ah I see your point about not flirting with you at practice." I said, stepping away. "I'll go run some more questions by your coach while you get cleaned up?" She looked into my eyes for a moment before nodding and walking away. I took an extra moment to admire the way her towel clung to her wet suit.
After getting some pointers to bring back to Rosewood, I waited for Paige outside the locker room.
"I hope they didn't tease you too much." I whispered once she came out the locker room. She smirked.
"It wasn't too bad. In fact the team is having a party on a beach near school tonight. Want to go?" She asked, taking my hand with the arm not supporting her duffle bag. I looked down at her hand in mine, and my breath caught in my throat for a moment. I'd forgotten how good it felt to simply be with her. She saw me looking at our entwined hands. "Sorry I shouldn't…is this okay? Us holding hands?" She asked.
"Of course it is. And I'd love to go tonight. I feel like seeing a beach is pretty obligatory, being in California and all."
"Great. Right now, I'm starving. We can take a walk down the main strip of food places and choose somewhere to eat?" Paige offered. I nodded eagerly. As we walked, Paige pointed out different points of interest. She seemed so happy and enthusiastic even though she was surely tired and starving for something to replenish her energy after practice. We came across a café Paige wholeheartedly recommended.
"I think I might need the caffeine to be completely honest. And you might find the coffee gives the Brew a run for its money." She said with playfulness in her tone as she glanced at me to see my reaction.
"We'll see about that." I responded coyly. We took a seat at a tiny, iron-wrought table and waited for a server to come over.
"So how's Aria enjoying her time in Europe?" Paige asked, smirking in a knowing way. I shook my head and sighed.
"At least she stopped sharing all her blog posts each night directly to Facebook. To be completely honest I was torn between being both annoyed at her spam and jealous of everything she is experiencing. For me, even being here seems like an exotic vacation." I explained. Paige tapped her shoe against mine under the table.
"I'm glad you are here. Exotic location or not." She clarified. The server stopped by and Paige put in an order for the largest coffee they had, and I put in mine for a cappuccino.
"Still drinking those?" Paige asked after my order.
The words came out naturally. "Yes. Even Ali…Alison tried to make me branch out." I winced as the smile diminished but didn't disappear from Paige's face. It seemed like I couldn't get my foot out of my mouth the past twenty four hours.
"I'm sorry…" I started, but Paige held up a hand.
"Em…you dated for her two years. It isn't like you aren't allowed to mention her. She is a part of you now." My heart seemed to melt and break at her words. I wasn't quite sure which it wanted to do.
"I just don't want to hurt you. More than I already have. I…" My words caught in my throat. Paige raised her eyebrows in a pained, longing look.
"I know we have to work on trusting one another." She reached over and held my hands in hers. "But I'm willing. I…want you Em. I have this whole time. So I know my feelings won't change." I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding in relief. Our drinks arrived and we broke our hands apart. Paige asked for a bit more time to look at the menu and the server said he would come back.
"How is Alison?" She asked, looking at the menu. I couldn't get a read on her mood, or even if the question was rhetorical.
"She's good I guess? I ran into Jake sneaking into her house the other night. Other than that I've barely spoken to her, especially after moving into Aria's place." Paige looked confused.
"Wait Jake? That martial arts instructor Aria was seeing?"
"It's a small world after all, especially in Rosewood." I decided on one of the sandwiches and set my menu down. After a bit Paige set hers down as well, signaling the server. Once we ordered Paige mentioned Caleb and Hanna's upcoming nuptials.
"I'm guessing that being on Caleb's side is a bit less intensive than Hanna's huh?"
"Absolutely." She grinned, "I basically just have to put on a suit and be there."
We continued our conversation till the food came, at which point Paige apologized ahead of time for being ravenous and dug in.
"Seeing you eat after a practice isn't anything new to me." I commented, raising my eyebrows in mock exasperation. "Paige you have a little sauce on the side of your face. You really are bad at this food thing sometimes." She tried to get it but kept missing.
I reached out, and brushed the pad of my thumb against the sauce and side of her full lips. She let out a sharp breath at my touch before shaking her head at herself, trying to recover.
"When this is college now…everything is…more intense." She was trying to refer to swimming and her diet, but it didn't feel like that was what her words were about. Besides holding hands it was really the only time I had touched her today, and I was caught by surprise at the unexpected surge of lust. From the way her brown eyes darkened, it seemed she felt it too. Just holding her hand earlier had gotten me wet, and I wasn't sure how or when to make a move. I just wanted her.
After walking around the campus a bit, we decided to go back to the apartment and put on a movie.
"Alex is at class right now so she won't mind if we are using the front room." Paige explained, sitting on the couch next to me.
"It's kind of cold in here, do you have a blanket?" I asked, trying to think of something, anything that might lead to us touching.
"Uh yeah, we have one right up here on top of the couch. Here we can share." Paige reached back and grabbed it, throwing it over both our legs. I moved my hand in between our bodies, under the blanket. I could practically feel my skin humming at being so close to hers. Please pick up the signal. I thought to myself. A moment later, I saw Paige tuck her arm under the blanket. Slowly I inched my hand to where I thought hers might be, noticing her eyes stayed focused on the screen. I felt pulled to her like a magnet. Then I felt her hand brush mine, her pinky finger stroking my thumb before entwining our fingers. We both shifted towards one another, sighing in relief.
"God Em. You don't know what you can do to me with just your hand." She whispered, meeting my eyes with hers as she said it. I cupped her cheek with my hand to keep her gaze on me.
"Actually I think I have a pretty good idea. But maybe you need a reminder?" I leaned over and kissed her before she could respond. She groaned, and instantly deepened the kiss. Now there was nothing to stop us from enjoying this oddly new yet familiar sensation. I grabbed a fistful of her hair in my free hand, pulling her against me.
She broke away from the kiss, to take a deep breath and look me in the eyes. Hers were dark with lust, it was unmistakable.
"Reminder?" She whispered. The way her raspy voice could inject one word with so much reverence broke me wide open. She sounded wanting and vulnerable and commanding all at the same time.
I shifted my hips as she touched my thighs. I was already soaked. She looked down at the blanket, thinking about something. Then she must have decided, pushing the blanket off and grabbing my hips to lift me unto her lap. I wrapped my arms around her neck and she started to kiss me again, our tongues moving against one another. Then Paige began to bite down my neck, holding me still as I began to thrust against her.
"Paige." I moaned, stroking the back of her neck. She lifted me up again and laid me down underneath her on the couch, the movie forgotten. I parted my legs by instinct and she climbed up between them to kiss me again.
"God I want you." She said in a low, hoarse voice full of emotion. She pushed up against my core and I gasped, putting my arms around her neck.
She started to kiss all around my neck and nibble my ears, while my hands eagerly roamed down her chest and stomach towards the top of her jeans. Her body had always been simultaneously soft and hard, but now she was even leaner. I started to play with her belt buckle, breaking our kiss to look into her eyes. She looked down at my hand then back up at me.
"Are you sure?" She whispered. I responded by starting to slide the buckle open, causing Paige to take in a sharp breath of anticipation. The faint sound of the metal unlatching made me slacken my pace for a moment, wanting to savor while also wanting to just take her, to take it again.
My hand slipped in her jeans, and I gently snapped the elastic of what felt like silky boyshorts. Paige's eyes were closed, her eyebrows furrowed.
I pressed my hand under the shorts, feeling a neatly trimmed landing strip. Paige let out an almost pained noise, "mmmphhhh…." as my digits just started to graze her wet center.
Then I heard something familiar, something it took my brain a moment to properly register. Paige was already sitting up and pushing me away, trying to grab the blanket again as the front door unlocked and Alex came in, whistling along with a song she was presumably listening to on the earbuds she had in her ears. Fortunately, her distracted entrance gave us enough time to adjust and get the blanket back over us.
"Oh hey guys! Got out of class early. I'll order a pizza so we can eat. Do either of you want something to drink?" Alex asked, clearly unaware of what she had nearly walked in on.
"Uh yeah I think we'll both have a beer." Paige said to Alex while looking at me. Alex disappeared into the kitchen, and I leaned against Paige, kissing her earlobe gently. We both laughed at ourselves.
"Consider me reminded of your skills. And being whatever the female term for blue balled is." She quietly said, kissing me softly on my lips.
"All good things in time, huh?" I asked, waggling my eyebrows at her.
Alex returned with three beers and we all toasted to the weekend. After Alex regaled Paige with the highlights of the party from the previous night, I decided to ask what I had been wondering since I met Alex yesterday.
"So how do you two know one another if you aren't on the swim team?" I asked, looking from Alex to Paige.
"Alex is in the Gay Pride group on campus. The vice president in fact." Paige said, tilting her beer bottle towards her roommate, who was grinning from ear to ear.
"Right. And do you want to let me tell it?" Paige just nodded, encouraging her to continue.
"And this little adorkable girl walks in the meeting, looking scared to death. I had the same look my freshman year. Even though I was out, it takes guts to walk into that room. You are alone and basically announcing yourself as gay. So I just decided to take her under my wing. She needed someone." Alex explained.
"Okay I wasn't THAT helpless of a case! I would have figured everything out." Paige protested as she drank more of her beer.
"Homo please. You needed help. You would have never met any gay ladies outside the Pride group if I hadn't been there." Paige rolled her eyes.
"So you guys have always been just friends?" I asked, feeling bad to be indicating any jealousy. I didn't know if I could handle the idea of Paige rooming with an ex-girlfriend. But Paige and Alex's laughter at my question confirmed a no even before they spoke.
"We've always just been friends." Paige reassured me, touching my knee. "And despite the occasional, unexpected party, she is my first good gay friend and a great person." Paige said, with an admiring look at her roommate.
"Aw shucks. Someone had to show you the ropes and help you figure out how to get around campus and have a life outside of swimming." The doorbell rang and Alex hopped up.
"That would be our dinner, but feel free to continue to boost my ego while we eat." She added, greeting the delivery guy and seeming to give him a generous cash tip.
They continued to tell me about the bars they frequented and some of their best going out stories as they called them. I had never seen Paige in such a casual repertoire with someone else before. I wondered how different she would have been if she had stayed in Rosewood. Stanford had seemed to boost her confidence and comfort in her own skin immensely. She was a different person now. I might fall for this Paige even harder.
"So what do you do Emily?" Alex asked. I was so involved with their stories it threw me for a loop when she redirected the conversation towards me.
"Well I go to college in Rosewood. Coach for the high school team we swam on, and then work at a coffee shop. Oh and I'm watching a friend's apartment while she's studying abroad. Nothing too special right now." I added, but Alex shook her head in disagreement.
"That sounds like an incredible amount of good work you are doing."
"Even the making coffee part?" I half-joked.
"Most people can't survive without it. Including me." She deadpanned. I laughed, feeling a bit more relaxed.
"And she is leading the Rosewood Sharks to even more wins and success. Although hopefully some of our records will stay intact." Paige added, nudging me playfully.
"Don't worry Paige your times are still on the records board." I said, rolling my eyes but grinning.
"Paige can be so damn competitive can't she?" Alex asked as she tapped my beer bottle with hers.
"Definitely."
"Okay you guys were supposed to bond over how much you mutually adore me, not how much you mutually put up with me being a winner." I quickly kissed her in response.
"No one has ever had to put up with you. You're amazing." I quietly said.
After eating, Paige suggested we change and go catch the bus to the beach. It was a warm, nearly balmy night as we walked to our destination.
"It's not like a decked out party bus or anything, just something to transport us all so there aren't a bunch of students trying to drink and drive." She explained.
"So it's just a regular school bus." I commented as we got on. Some of Paige's teammates were on there already, and they shouted her name as she walked on, whopping excitedly.
"You are quite popular here Paige McCullers." I said. We grabbed a seat together, and Paige let her hand rest on my thigh.
"Yeah well they are being cool and nice now. They were grilling me pretty hard about the hot girl that accompanied me to practice." I blushed, looking down. "Of course they were right about her being hot." She added, pulling me into yet another kiss that made me forget everything but us.